Philippines Summons Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan as Marcos Rejects Expulsion

The Philippines formally summoned China’s ambassador on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, over his remark that China “may easily win” if it chose to use force. On the same day, Malacañang said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. does not want the envoy expelled. The dispute over Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan now pits a cautious presidential palace against senators pushing to declare him persona non grata, with the Chinese embassy openly taunting them.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Theresa Lazaro told Jing that his Oct. 15 remarks were “provocative and unacceptable,” the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a statement reported by Philstar. The DFA also rebuked the embassy for its public attacks on lawmakers. It said it was “not the place of a foreign mission to publicly criticize or taunt Philippine officials and legislators who are acting within their mandates.” The department said it reserved the right to take further diplomatic action, but it did not say what that could be or how Jing responded.

What Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan said

Jing spoke to reporters on the sidelines of a forum in Quezon City on Oct. 15. Denying that China was a troublemaker, he said the Philippines should feel fortunate to have China as a neighbor. “If we want to use force, we may easily win,” he said, according to Philstar, adding that China would not do so because it loves peace.

That evening, the DFA said the words appeared to convey a “thinly veiled threat of the use of force.” On Oct. 16, Marcos said the remark “sounds very much to me like a threat” and that he wanted to understand what the ambassador meant. The Chinese embassy accused the DFA of selectively quoting and overinterpreting Jing.

The persona non grata push in the Senate

Several lawmakers have called for Jing’s expulsion since Oct. 16. On Monday, Sen. Erwin Tulfo filed Senate Resolution No. 739, the Inquirer reported. It urges the DFA “to recommend to the appropriate authorities the declaration of Ambassador Jing Quan as persona non grata, in view of the severity of his remarks and their implications for Philippine sovereignty, national dignity, and bilateral relations.” The resolution also expresses the Senate’s “serious concern” over remarks “suggesting the potential use of force against the Philippines.”

The embassy responded on its social media pages. In one Facebook post, it wrote, according to Philstar: “Is this threat or coercion? But anyway, just do it. Otherwise, STOP BLUFFING.” On Sunday it called the persona non grata push “old and low tricks” and added, “If they really want to do something, do it quickly and immediately, please.” Those later posts, reported by the Inquirer, also said “anti-China politicians” who backed the move would not be welcome in China.

Why Marcos is resisting expulsion

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said Marcos would not take that step. “We know the president’s position. He would not want this kind of declaration to be made against anyone, including a representative of another country here in our country,” she said at a briefing, the Inquirer reported. “Whatever the opinions of other leaders and senators may be, we respect their views, opinions and feelings. But as we have said, the president does not act outside diplomatic channels.”

The DFA has previously called expelling a diplomat an “option of last resort” with heavy consequences. Castro said Marcos still considers relations with China “good.” She said the president would go ahead with his trip to Shenzhen, China, for the APEC Leaders’ Meeting on Nov. 18–20. There was no word yet on a possible meeting with President Xi Jinping. “Even as we fight for and protect our rights, our territory and the West Philippine Sea, the President remains diplomatic. He does not initiate any aggression,” Castro said.

The South China Sea backdrop

The war of words comes amid repeated confrontations in the South China Sea, which Manila calls the West Philippine Sea in the areas it claims. The Boston Report has tracked recent incidents in Philippines-China South China Sea incidents and a medical evacuation at Ayungin Shoal. Allied militaries are also active in the wider region, as covered in Keen Sword 27 drills near Yonaguni.

For now, the dispute stays in diplomatic channels. The Senate resolution urges the DFA to recommend an expulsion; it does not expel the envoy on its own. The next signs to watch are whether Jing clarifies or withdraws his remarks, whether the DFA takes the “further diplomatic action” it reserved, and whether the issue shadows Marcos’ trip to China next month. Lawmakers remain free to speak out, Castro said, because they enjoy freedom of expression.

Featured photo: The Department of Foreign Affairs building on Roxas Boulevard, Pasay, Philippines, by Patrick Roque, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped; license). File photo.

Sources

• Philstar: Marcos does not want Chinese ambassador expelled, says Palace
• Inquirer: Marcos favors diplomacy over declaring Chinese envoy unwelcome
• Inquirer: Jing Quan persona non grata bid: Senate reso urging DFA filed